On Tuesday, March 7th, the Catalyst Accelerator team kicked-off the first week of the Defensive Cyber Operations for Space (#CADCO) cohort, and it couldn’t have been a better start to the program! The week began with a delicious catered breakfast, which allowed the cohort members to meet and interact with each other before getting an official welcome from the Catalyst Accelerator and Catalyst Campus teams.
Programming began with Lt Col Johnson who provided the cohort with a problem statement overview, which helped the companies better understand the pain-points of the Space Force’s Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) office. Later that morning, Gabe Mounce, the Director of Space Force Accelerators, spoke to the cohort about why the Catalyst Accelerator program exists and the ways in which it cultivates innovation and collaboration within the DoD. He also touched on the importance of forward-thinking small businesses to the AFRL/RV ecosystem and the warfighter.
Over the lunch hour, the cohort had the chance to meet with each of their Commercial Navigators. For the #CADCO cohort, the Accelerator team is thrilled to have Two Six Technologies, Booz Allen Hamilton, Linquest, Lockheed Martin, ManTech, Deloitte, Galapagos, and Parsons as Commercial Navigators.
Eleven subject matter experts donated their time to speak with the cohort during week one. The companies had the pleasure of hearing from Delilah Alvarado who spoke to the cohort about the ins-and-outs of working with the DoD, MSgt Gregory Howell who presented a use case on DCO from his vantage point in JTF-SD, and Maj Gen (ret) Kim Crider, former Chief Technology Innovation Officer of the Space Force, who shared her views on what the digital force should be.
On Thursday, Gregg Walsh, Regional Director of Business Development and Operations at Two Six Technologies, donated his time to speak to the cohort about Two Six Technologies, their role as the Session 1 Sponsor and Commercial Navigator for the cohort, and the ways in which the companies can get involved with Two Six Tech. Gregg stated, “A great week getting familiar with these eight amazing companies and learning what they want to achieve. Two Six Technologies is pleased to be a part of such an impactful event.”
Throughout the week, Mo Kanwischer, President of Momentum Business Consulting, met with each of the cohort companies during week one to discuss ABC statements, customer discovery, and deliverables. Additionally, the cohort companies had the opportunity to meet with Ed Kase, President of EKase Consulting and expert in strategic marketing and business development, who wrote a market research report for the Defensive Cyber Operations for Space problem statement.
On Friday morning, the #CADCO cohort members each gave five-minute pitches of their companies and answered questions from their fellow cohort members. This was an excellent opportunity for each company to understand their fellow cohort companies on a deeper level. This exercise also allowed the companies to better understand the ways in which their technologies and capabilities complement each other.
The week ended with an outstanding briefing from Lt Gen (ret) David J. Buck and Robert Atkins of Buck Consulting Group. They provided a high-level overview of the Space Force and its structure. They spoke about the organizational chart of all military branches, USSPACECOM, the various types of contracts and more.
Thank you to each of the subject matter experts who donated their time to speak with the #CADCO cohort and answer their questions. The Catalyst Accelerator team is looking forward to week two with this incredible group of companies!
